Asia Society

According to their website: "The Asia Society was founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd to foster understanding between Asians and Americans," and currently has a annual budget of $22 million.


 * "A nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization, the Society provides a forum for building awareness of the more than thirty countries broadly defined as the Asia-Pacific region - the area from Japan to Iran, and from Central Asia to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands."


 * "Initially established to promote greater knowledge of Asia in the U.S., the Society today is a global institution that fulfills its educational mandate through programs encompassing arts, culture, politics and business throughout the diverse countries of Asia. As economies and cultures have become more interconnected, the Society’s programs have expanded to address Asian American issues, the effects of globalization, and pressing social concerns in Asia such as human rights, women’s issues, the environment and HIV/AIDS."


 * "As Americans and Asians work together to meet the challenges of a 21st century world, we will need the Asia Society more than ever." (Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell)

Dr Vishakha N. Desai is the sixth president of the Asia Society, taking the position on in July 2004, although her husband Robert B. Oxnam was the Asia Society’s president from 1981 to 1992. Dr. Desai also serves on the boards of The Brookings Institution, Citizens for NYC, and the New York City Advisory Commission for Cultural Affairs. Former chair of the Asia Sociey, Richard C. Holbrooke, is on the board for the National Endowment for Democracy. 

Officers

 * Vishakha N. Desai - President
 * Jamie F. Metzl - Executive Vice President
 * Thomas B. Moore - Senior Vice President, Operations
 * Todd Michael Galitz - Vice President, External Affairs
 * Karen Karp - Vice President, Marketing and Communications
 * Vivien Stewart - Vice President, Education

Trustees
Trustees as of 2007:
 * Ajay Banga, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup International Global Consumer Group
 * Lee Hong-Koo, Chairman of the Board, The Seoul Forum for International Affairs and The East Asian Institute and Former Prime Minister of South Korea, 1994-1995
 * K.S. (Sonny) Kalsi, Managing Director and Global Co-Head, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing
 * Harold J. Newman, General Partner and Investment Advisor, Neuberger & Berman
 * Richard L. Plepler, Co-President, HBO
 * Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder, The Blackstone Group
 * Lulu C. Wang, Chief Executive Officer, Tupelo Capital Management
 * Harrison Young, Non-Executive Director, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and former Chairman, Morgan Stanley Australia.

Honorary trustees and previous staff
Trustees Jon A. Anda, Hushang Ansary, Leon D. Black, Ronnie C. Chan, Purnendu Chatterjee, Gina Lin Chu, Chung Mong-Joon, Henry Cornell, David A. Coulter, Leo A. Daly III, Vishakha N. Desai, Rohit M. Desai, Dinyar Devitre, Charles C. Foster, John H. Foster, Carol Gluck, John H. J. Guth, Doris Magsaysay Ho, Richard C. Holbrooke, James B. Hunt, Jr., Charles R. Kaye, Leo Koguan, Chong-Moon Lee, Stephen Long, Susan E. Lynch, Vikram Malhotra, Thomas E. McLain, Clare Tweedy McMorris, Victor J. Menezes, Robert W. Miller, Hugh M. Morgan, Hassan Nemazee, Ruth Newman, Dominic Ng, Indra K. Nooyi, John D. Rockefeller IV, Charles P. Rockefeller, Nafis Sadik, Carl Spielvogel, Donald W. Tang, John L. Thornton, Pote Videt, John S. Wadsworth, Jr., Laurence F. Whittemore,

Honorary Life Trustees Peter A. Aron, Mary Griggs Burke, Osborn Elliott, Lisina M. Hoch, Roy M. Huffington, Virginia Kettering, Pyong Hwoi Koo, Quo-Wei Lee, Sherman E. Lee, Winthrop R. Munyan, Cynthia Hazen Polsky, Arthur Ross, William Soeryadjaya, Washington SyCip, John C. Whitehead

Chairmen Emeriti Roy M. Huffington, John C. Whitehead

Presidents Emeriti Robert B. Oxnam, Nicholas Platt, Phillips Talbot,

Contact

 * 725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street)
 * New York, NY 10021
 * Tel: (212) 288-6400
 * Fax: (212) 517-8315
 * Web: http://www.asiasociety.org

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Osborn Elliott Award for Excellence in Journalism on Asia